Review: One Size Fits All by Various Authors
Note: This ARC was provided by Sassy Savvy Fabulous PR in exchange for an honest review.
One Size Fits All is a multi-authored anthology that has twelve authors coming together and giving readers twelve romantic comedy stories, one being a co-written effort. The collection is a mixed bag, with some of the stories going for outright toilet humor, a few choosing slapstick, and others preferring a wittier, more subtle approach. Some of the stories are prequels and slash or happen to be part of an ongoing series a particular author is writing, and that usually tends to be frustrating because then you're left hanging as to what happens next, but I get that this is meant to entice readers into continuing with the more full-length version of the featured couple's story or moving forward with the series. Based on my personal tastes, I preferred some stories more than I did the others and will give each abbreviated opinions for this review.
Let me tackle first the stories that were prequels or ended in kinda, sorta cliffhangers, which make up half of the stuff in the anthology: Boys, Toys-Oh My! by A.M. Willard, Kiss My Crown by Alexis Noelle, Now What?!! by Misha Elliott, I Hoped There'd Be Handcuffs by Isabelle Richards, From a Distance by Gia Riley, and Tailwind by M.C. Cerny. Among these six, my favorites would have to be From a Distance and I Hoped There'd Be Handcuffs. These two stories left me wanting to keep on reading, which is always a good thing when you're introducing characters and a new story. From a Distance was sweet and I quickly found myself liking Zoe Allen and Dylan Turner, best friends who would be perfect as lovers if only her twin sister would get out of the way and he would be honest about his long-held feelings for the girl who's owned his heart for years. I Hoped There'd Be Handcuffs had me laughing at married couple Spencer and Charlie Fairchild and how a planned moment of seduction went so terribly but hilariously wrong. I'd give both these stories 4.5 stars. As for the rest, Kiss My Crown and Now What?!! would get four stars each and I would definitely keep an eye out to see how those stories end. Boys, Toys-Oh My! and Tailwind get three stars.
For the standalones, or what I assumed were standalones or at least ended on what I felt were decisive notes, The Ten Centimeter Calamity by B.L. Berry was my favorite and I give it five stars. The story was on point, had a good twist with the ex, and that proposal had me swooning. Main characters Jeff and Henley were funny without being over the top and they just had this chemistry that I believed, with everything culminating in "birthquake". My next two favorites would have to be We Were Drunk by Courtney Cole & Meghan Quinn and Barking Mad Love by TJ Burton, each receiving 4.5 stars. We Were Drunk was quirky and witty and had this unexpected but fantastical twist to it that had me grinning like an idiot because it took me by surprise. Barking Mad Love had an enemies-to-lovers trope and when you add a very pregnant dog to it, the story becomes even doubly great. The three other stories--Queen of the Throne by Shari J. Ryan, Ex's & Hoes by Danielle Jamie, and Stilettos and Broken Bottles by Gina Whitney--get three stars apiece.
Overall, this was an entertaining read. The great thing about anthologies is that you can always pick and choose the stories you want to read right away and leave the rest for later perusing. One Size Fits All will also be allocating one hundred percent of their proceeds to the Purple Heart Foundation. So, if you're looking for a laugh or two (or a dozen) and want to support a worthy cause, this four-starred anthology may be right up your alley.
Let me tackle first the stories that were prequels or ended in kinda, sorta cliffhangers, which make up half of the stuff in the anthology: Boys, Toys-Oh My! by A.M. Willard, Kiss My Crown by Alexis Noelle, Now What?!! by Misha Elliott, I Hoped There'd Be Handcuffs by Isabelle Richards, From a Distance by Gia Riley, and Tailwind by M.C. Cerny. Among these six, my favorites would have to be From a Distance and I Hoped There'd Be Handcuffs. These two stories left me wanting to keep on reading, which is always a good thing when you're introducing characters and a new story. From a Distance was sweet and I quickly found myself liking Zoe Allen and Dylan Turner, best friends who would be perfect as lovers if only her twin sister would get out of the way and he would be honest about his long-held feelings for the girl who's owned his heart for years. I Hoped There'd Be Handcuffs had me laughing at married couple Spencer and Charlie Fairchild and how a planned moment of seduction went so terribly but hilariously wrong. I'd give both these stories 4.5 stars. As for the rest, Kiss My Crown and Now What?!! would get four stars each and I would definitely keep an eye out to see how those stories end. Boys, Toys-Oh My! and Tailwind get three stars.
For the standalones, or what I assumed were standalones or at least ended on what I felt were decisive notes, The Ten Centimeter Calamity by B.L. Berry was my favorite and I give it five stars. The story was on point, had a good twist with the ex, and that proposal had me swooning. Main characters Jeff and Henley were funny without being over the top and they just had this chemistry that I believed, with everything culminating in "birthquake". My next two favorites would have to be We Were Drunk by Courtney Cole & Meghan Quinn and Barking Mad Love by TJ Burton, each receiving 4.5 stars. We Were Drunk was quirky and witty and had this unexpected but fantastical twist to it that had me grinning like an idiot because it took me by surprise. Barking Mad Love had an enemies-to-lovers trope and when you add a very pregnant dog to it, the story becomes even doubly great. The three other stories--Queen of the Throne by Shari J. Ryan, Ex's & Hoes by Danielle Jamie, and Stilettos and Broken Bottles by Gina Whitney--get three stars apiece.
Overall, this was an entertaining read. The great thing about anthologies is that you can always pick and choose the stories you want to read right away and leave the rest for later perusing. One Size Fits All will also be allocating one hundred percent of their proceeds to the Purple Heart Foundation. So, if you're looking for a laugh or two (or a dozen) and want to support a worthy cause, this four-starred anthology may be right up your alley.
Release Date: 03 August 2016
Date Read: 03 August 2016
Learn more about B.L. Berry, TJ Burton, M.C. Cerny, Courtney Cole, Misha Elliott, Danielle Jamie, Alexis Noelle, Meghan Quinn, Isabelle Richards, Gia Riley, Shari J. Ryan, Gina Whitney, and A.M. Willard.
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